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2015 Review: Agency rebrands

Event agencies have been expanding their services in 2015, with some rebranding to reflect a changing market. C&IT speaks to mcm creative group and Vista about the associated challenges.

Vista's James Wilkins

Mcm creative group

Agency mcm creative rebranded in September after deciding the brand image didn’t represent what the company could deliver. "For some time we were completing award-winning work and innovative creative solutions largely under the radar. We recognised the need to move away from talking about one or two core communication channels like Corporate Events and Film and that we needed to share our breadth of services with our key audiences," says Lizzie Carver, client services director.

Since the rebrand, the company has retained its clients, saying the reaction has been ‘positive’ and that the new look and feel of the agency better represents its creativity. In terms of challenges, the hardest aspect of the rebrand was timing, closely followed by the management of people’s viewpoints. "Just as with art everyone has differing tastes and opinions; it’s critical to involve the whole company, but also to know how to carefully manage timings and the correct level of time investment," explains Carver.

She adds that the key to success is ‘communication’, ensuring that both clients and staff understand that it will be a positive step for the agency. "You need to ensure that you secure everyone’s buy in, from the new look and feel, to your new positioning. After all, they’re the most important stakeholders to the business."

Vista

Formerly known as Logistik, agency Vista underwent a major rebrand at the start of the year. Designed to better reflect the creative services on offer, James Wilkins, managing director, says the new look and feel has been welcomed by clients. "Logistik had been around for 18 years so it was a huge decision," he explains. "But after speaking to clients, we decided our name no longer reflected our output."

For Wilkins, one of the biggest challenges was the sheer volume of changes that needed to be made. "We had to change absolutely everything, from business cards to letterheads to client contracts. We had to be careful about paying attention to all the small details." To be 100% clear on what they were doing and why, the agency produced a five-year plan, alongside the rebrand. "It’s been really successful in helping us connect to brands. We’ve grown our turnover significantly, particularly for the technology and automotive markets. Enhancing our communication services was a huge part of the rebrand and since then we’ve witnessed a 20% increase in demand for our marketing services."

So far, he says the feedback from existing clients has been positive, with people keen to look at the agency in a new light. "Everyone wants to know more about the changes and what they mean, which has given us the opportunity to 'reintroduce' the brand to both new and existing clients."